Tiger's Curse, Panther's Destiny
by Jaide Wolf
Summary: Harry and Kelsey have been best friends for years, and brother and sister for nearly as long, but when Kelsey gets dragged head first into a 300 year old curse, will he help her or abandon her like so many before have done to him? This has slash, so be warned. Dumbledore, Weasley and Granger bashing.
1. The Curse

**Hello, my beautiful people! How is every body? Now, this may seem like a very wierd crossover, but I just couldn't help myself! Now, this will follow the Tiger Saga books very closely, but will just have Harry inserted into many of the scenes and some scenes might be erased. I hope you enjoy! Also I make no money by doing this. This is just for entertainment purposes only! Also there will be warnings for people who read after this first part. If you read further than this part then you will find out what they are. **

**Tiger's Curse, Panther's Destiny**

**The Tiger, by William Blake**

**Tiger! Tiger! burning bright** **In the forests of the night,** **What immortal hand or eye** **Could frame thy fearful symmetry?**

**In what distant deeps or skies** **Burnt the fire of thine eyes?** **On what wings dare he aspire?** **What the hand dare sieze the fire?**

**And what shoulder and what art,** **Could twist the sinews of thy heart?** **And when thy heart began to beat,** **What dread hand and what dread feet?**

**What the hammer? what the chain?** **In what furnace was thy brain?** **What the anvil? what dread grasp** **Dare its deadly terrors clasp?**

**When the stars threw down their spears,** **And watered heaven with their tears,** **Did he smile his work to see?** **Did he who made the Lamb make thee?**

**Tiger! Tiger! burning bright** **In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye** **Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?**

**Prologue**

**The Curse**

The prisoner stood with his hands tied in front of him, tired, beaten, and filthy but with a proud back befitting his royal Indian heritage. His captor, Lokesh, looked on haughtily from a lavishly carved, gilded throne. Tall, white pillars stood like sentinels around the room. Not a whisper of a jungle breeze moved across the sheer draperies. All the prisoner could hear was the steady clinking of Lokesh's jeweled rings against the side of the golden chair. Lokesh looked down, eyes narrowed into contemptuous, triumphant slits. The prisoner was the prince of an Indian kingdom called Mujulaain. Well, technically, his current title was _Prince and High Protector of the Mujulaain Empire, _but he still preffed to think of himself as just his father's son.

That Lokesh, the raja of a small neighboring kingdom called Bhreenam, had managed to kidnap the prince was not as shocking as who was sitting beside Lokesh: Yesubai, the raja's daughter and the prisoner's fiancée, and the prince's younger brother, Kishan. The captive studied all three of them but only Lokesh returned his determined gaze. Beneath his shirt, the prince's stone amulet lay cool against his skin, while anger surged through his body.

The prisoner spoke first, struggling to keep the betrayal out of his voice, 'Why have you - my soon-to-be-father - treated me with such . . . _inhospitality?' _

Nonchalant, Lokesh affixed a, deliberate smile on his face. 'My dear prince, you have something I desire.' 'Nothing you could want can justify this. Are our kingdoms not to be joined? Everything I have has been at you disposal. You needed only to ask. Why have you done this?' Lokesh rubbed his jaw as his eye glittered. 'Plans change. It seems that your brother would like to take my daughter for _his_ bride. He has promised me certain remunerations if I help him achieve that goal.' The prince turned his attention to Yesubai, who, with cheeks aflame, assumed a demure, submissive pose with her head bowed. His arranged marriage to Yesubai was supposed to have ushered in an era of peace between the two kingdoms. He had been away for the last four months overseeing military operations on the far side of the empire and he had left his brother to watch over the kingdom.

_I guess Kishan was watching a little bit more than just the kingdom. _

The prisoner strode fearlessly forward, faced Lokesh, and called out, 'You have fooled us all. you are like a coiled cobra that has been hiding in his basket, waiting for the moment to strike.'

He widened his glance to include his brother and his fiancée. 'Don't you see? Your actions have freed the viper, and we are bitten. His poison now runs through our blood, destroying everything.'

Lokesh laughed disdainfully and spoke, 'If you agree to surrender your piece of the Damon Amulet, I might be persuaded to allow you to live.'

'To live? I thought we were bartering for my bride.'

'I'm afraid your rights as a betrothed husband have been usurped. Perhaps I haven't been clear. Your brother will have Yesubai.'

The prisoner clenched his jaw, and saide simply, 'My father's armies would destroy you if you killed me.' Lokesh laughed. 'He certainly would not destroy Kishan's new family. We will simply placate your dear father and tell him that you were the victim of an unfortunate accident.'

He stroked his, stippled beard and then clarified, 'Of course, you understand, that even should I allow you to live, I will rule _both _kingdoms.' Lokesh smiled. 'If you defy me I will forcibly remove your piece of the amulet.'

Kishan leaned toward Lokesh and protested stiffly, 'I thought we had an arrangement. I only brought my brother to you because you swore that you would _not _kill him! You were to take the amulet. That's all.'

Lokesh shot out his hand as quickly as a snake and grabbed Kishan's wrist. 'You should have learned by now that I _take_ whatever I want. If you woul prefer the view from where your brother is standing, I would be happy to accommodate you.'

Kishan shifted in his chair but kept silent.

Lokesh continued. 'No? Very well, I have now amended our former arrangement. Your brother _will _be killed if he does not comply with my wishes, and _you _will never marry my daughter unless you hand over your piece of the amulet to me as well. This private arrangement of ours can easily be revoked, and I can have Yesubai married to a different man - a man of _my _choosing. Perhaps an old sultan would cool her blood. If you want to remain close to Yesubai, you will learn to be submissive. '

Lokesh squeezed Kishan's wrist until it cracked loudly. kishan didn't react at all.

Flexing his fingers and slowly rolling his wrist, Kishan sat back, raised a hand to touch the engraved amulet piece hidden underneath his own shirt, and made eye contact with his brother. An unspoken message passed between them.

The brothers would deal with each other later, but Lokesh's actions meant war, and the needs of the kingdom were a priority for both.

Obsession pumped up Lokesh's neck, throbbed at his temple, and settled behind his black, serpentine eyes. Those same eyes dissected the prisoner's face, probing, assessing for weakness. Angered to the point of action, Lokesh jumped to his feet. 'So be it!'

Lokesh pulled a shiny knife with a jeweled hilt from his robe and roughly yanked up the sleeve of the prisoner's now filthy, once-white Jodhpuri coat. The ropes twisted painfully on his wrists and he grunted in pain as Lokesh drew the knife across his arm. The cut was deep enough that blood welled up, spilled over the edge, and dripped onto the tiled floor.

Lokesh tore a wooden talisman from around his neck and placed it beneath the prisoner's arm. Blood dripped down from the knife onto the charm, and the engraved symbol glowed a fiery red before pulsing an unnatural white light.

The light shot out toward the prince with groping fingers that pierced his chest and clawed its way theough his body. though strong, he wasn't prepared for the pain. the captive screamed as his body suddenly became inflamed with a prickly heat and he fell to the floor.

He reached out with his hands to brace himself, but he managed only to scratch feebly on the cold, white tile of the floor. the prince watched helplessly as both Yesubai and his brother attacked Lokesh, who shoved both back viciously. Yesubai fell to the ground, hitting her head hard on the dais.

The prince was aware that his brother was near, overtaken by grief as the life drained from Yesubai's limp body. Then he was aware of nothing except the pain.

**Tiger's Curse, Panther's Destiny**

300 years in the future, in the place where the grand adventure shall begin, a pair of emerald green eyes snap open.

**So how was that? Can anyone guess who that person is? ( I know it's really easy to guess, but meh) I hope you liked it! Until next time my fluffy bunnies! Also, this is on my wattpad account.**

**Jaide_Wolf**


	2. Kelsey

**Tiger's Curse, Panther's Destiny**

**Okay, so the warnings for this are that there will be slash. You know, boy on boy or girl on girl. If you don't like that kind of stuff then please don't read. There will also be Weasley(except the twins and Bill and Charlie), Dumbledore and Granger bashing.**

**Pairings:Ren/Kelsey, Kishan/Harry, Luna/Nilma. If you don't like these pairings go read something else.**

**The Wild Flower's Song**

**By William Blake**

**As I wandered the forest,** **The green leaves among,** **I heard a wild Flower** **Singing a song.** **'I slept in the earth** **In the silent night,** **I murmured my fears** **And I felt delight. ' In the morning I went** **As rosy as morn, To seek for new joy; But oh! met with scorn. **

**Chapter One**

**Kelsey**

I was standing on a precipice. Well, technically, I was standing in line at a temp job office in Oregon, but it felt like a precipice. Childhood, high school, and the illusion that life was good and times were easy were behind me. Ahead loomed the future: college, a variety of summer jobs to help pay for tuition, and the probability of a lonley adulthood.

At least I had Harry, so maybe not so alone. I had known Harry for years, and he felt like a brother to me. Well, legally, he is and he has always been there for me. I was always really upset when he had to go away to Hogwarts for a whole nine months. And yes, I do know about magic. I first meet him when he was nine. He had come to Oregon with his relatives for a holiday. Well, it was a holiday for his relatives, but certainly not for him...

_**:Flashback:**_

_"Come along Diddykims! The playground's this way! And after you are finished there, we can get you some ice-cream, now how does that sound poppet?" it was a horse faced woman that spoke. She seemed to be speaking to a flesh coloured beach ball... or is that a child? I can't tell... Anyway._

_A giant walrus walked up to the pair and ruffled the child, beach ball, things, hair. The walrus chuckled and said,_

_"He's a chip off the old block, eh, Marge?" he said to an equally obease woman beside him._

_"Yes. Nothing like his brat of a cousin. I still can't believe that you brought him here with you. Waste of a good holiday if you ask me. You're going to spend most of your holiday trying to make sure he doesn't act up and do something illegal." they didn't seem to notice the sad and lonely expression of the boy they were talking about. As they continued to talk about him, his eyes became expressionless and dull._

_Time skip 10 minutes._

_The boy was now sitting under a tree, watching his cousin play with his mother and father. He didn't notice as a young girl, around about his age, walk up behind him._

_"Hello, my name's Kelsey. What's yours?" the boy jumped nearly a foot in the air, as he quickly turned around and stared at the girl who asked his name. She was a pretty girl,_**_(even if he is still at the age where girls are icky and havecooties.)_**_, she had shoulder length light golden-brown hair and deep doe brown coloured eyes. He looked warily at her as if expecting her to sneer and turn away from him._

_"Harry. My name's Harry." his voice was almost as soft as a whisper. The girl, Kelsey, smiled at him._

_"Do you want to play with me Harry? I wanted to ask 'cause you seemed a bit lonely and I hadn't seen you around before and I wanted to get to know you. So, do you want to play with me?" Harry looked at her eyes, looking for deception, but all he could see was sincerity. He nodded and took her hand as she held it out._

_Slowly, Harry opened up to Kelsey and in turn, slowly opened up to her parents. When they found out about his abuse and neglect from the Dursley's, they were so angry. They got the Dursleys arrested and put in jail for their crimes and they adopted Harry. He slowly grew out of his quiet and reserved nature and became a loud and boisterous young boy. They were shocked and awed when they found out that Harry was magical, but they were appalled when they learned of his adventures at Hogwarts._

_He quit Hogwarts during his third year. He couldn't handle Dumbledore's blatant manipulations. He couldn't handle his so called 'friends' trying to get him into dangerous situations and get into his vaults. He still learnt magic, but he taught himself and hired tutors when he had too._

_When he was seventeen and the war was escalating, he went back to Britain for a little while. He defeated the so called 'Dark Lord' and his followers. They tried to get him to stay and rebuild the Ministry of Magic and teach at Hogwarts. He declined all offers and quickly made his way back home. To his sister and his life._

**:Flashback:**

Now, he lives a very happy life with me.

The line inched forward. We'd been waithing for what seemed like hours trying to get a lead on a summer job. When it was finally our turn, we approached the desk of a bored, tired job placement worker who was on the phone. The woman gestured us closer and indicated that we should sit down. After she hung up, I handed her some forms and she mechanically began the joint interview.**(I know that's not how this kind of stuff works, but, hey, it IS fanfiction)**

"Names, please."

"Kelsey. Kelsey Hayes."

"Harry Potter-Hayes" she nodded and continued.

"Age?"

"Seventeen, almost eighteen for both of us. Are birthdays are coming up soon."**(I tweaked Harry's birthday so his birthday is on the same day as Kelsey.)** She stamped the forms. "Are you both High School graduates?"

"Yes. We both graduated just a couple of weeks ago, and plan on attending Chemeketa this fall."

"Parents names?" both of us winced at that.

"Madison and Joshua Hayes, but my guardians are Sarah and Michael Neilson." it never gets any easier, but it's so much worse for Harry.

"My parents are Lily and James Potter. Deceased. My adoptive parents are Madison and Joshua Hayes, but my guardians are also Sarah and Michael Neilson." I gave him a one-armed hug, to offer support.

"Guardians?" Harry and I looked at each other and thought _'Here we go again_. Somehow, for both of us, explaining this never got any easier.

"Yes. Our birth parents are . . . deceased. Harry's parents died in a gas explosion and mine died in a car accident when we were freshman's." She bent over some paperwork and scribbled for a long time. I grimaced, wondering what she could be writing that was taking so long. Harry just looked mildly amused.

"Mister and Miss Hayes, do you like animals?"

"Sure. Umm, I know how to feed them . . ." _Is anyone lamer than me? _Harry smirked at me. Smug bastard. I cleared my throat. "I mean, sure, we love animals. Don't we Harry?" he just nodded.

The woman didn't really seem to care about our responses, and she handed me a posting for a job.

**NEEDED:**

**A TEMPORARY WORKER FOR TWO WEEKS ONLY**

**DUTIES INCLUDE: TICKET SALES, **

**FEEDING THE ANIMALS,**

**AND CLEANING UP AFTER PERFORMANCES.**

**Note: Because the tiger and dogs**

**Need to be cared for 24/7, so room and bored**

**are provided.**

The job was for the Circus Maurizio, a small family-run circus at the fairgrounds. I remembered getting a coupon for it at the grocery store and Harry and I had even considered offering to take our foster parents' kids, Rebecca, who is six years old, and Samuel, who is four, so that Sarah and Mike could have some time to themselves. But then I lost the coupon and then totally forgot all about it.

"So, do you want the job or what? But they're only asking for one person, so one of you might have to look else where for a job." the woman said impatiently. Harry just smirked at the woman. She rolled her eyes in response.

"A tiger, huh? Sounds interesting! Are there elephants, too? Because I have to draw the line at scooping up elephant droppings." I giggled quietly at my own joke, whilst Harry just rolled his eyes, but the woman didn't even crack a smile! Since we didn't have any other options, we told her we would do it. She gave Harry a skeptical look and then gave me a card with an address and instructed us to be there the next day by 6:00 a.m.

I wrinkled my nose and Harry groaned. "They need us at six a.m in the bloody morning?"

The worker just gave me a look and shouted 'Next!' at the line shuffling behind us.

_What have we gotten ourselves into?_** (You have no bloody clue how much trouble you have gotten yourselves into... Hehehe..) **I thought as I climbed into Sarah's borrowed hybrid and headed home. I sighed. _It could be worse. I could be flipping burgers tommorrow. Circuses are fun. I just hope there are no elephants. _Harry sniggered, like he had heard my thoughts. . . Smug bastard.

Living with Sarah and Mike was okay for the most part. They gave me and Harry a lot more freedom than most other kids' parents, and I think we all have a healthy respect for each other - well, at least as much as adults can respect two seventeen-year-olds anyway. We both helped babysit the kids and we never got into trouble. Well, _I _didn't get into any trouble. Can't say the same for Harry though. It wasn't the same as being with our parents, but we were still a family of sorts.

I parked the car carefully in the garage and headed into the house, with Harry right on my heels, to find Sarah attacking a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. I dropped my bag on a chair, whilst Harry hung his off the back of a chair, and went to go grab a glass of water.

"Making vegan cookies again, I see. What's the special occasion? " I asked.

Sarah quickly turned around and wacked Harrys hand as he drank out of the juice carton. He choked and spluttered as he glared at Sarah. She raised an eyebrow and he rolled his eyes and put it back. She then jammed the wooden spoon into the dense dough several times as if the spoon were an icepick. "It's Sammy's turn to bring treats for his playdate."

I stifled a snigger by coughing, whilst Harry outright laughed.

She narrowed her eyes at us shrewdly. "Kelsey and Harry Hayes, just because your mother was the best damn cookie baker in the world doesn't mean I can't make a decent treat."

"It's not your skills we doubt, it's your ingredients." we said in sink. I picked up a jar and gave it a look. "Substitute nut butter, flax, protein powder and agave. I'm suprised you don't put recycled paper in those things. Where's the chocolate?"

"I use carob sometimes."

_"Carob_is not chocolate!" Harry exclaims. "It tastes like brown chalk. If you're going to make cookies, you should make-"

"I know. I know. Pumpkin chocolate chip or double chocolate peanut butters. They're really bad for you, Harry, Kelsey." she said with a sigh.

"But they taste _so _good!" we both exclaim.

We watched as Sarah licked a finger and continue. "By the way, we, well, I, got a job. I'm going to be cleaning up and feeding animals at a circus. It's at the fairgrounds."

"Good for you! That sounds like it will be a great experience. Oh, and Harry?"

"Yes Sarah?"

"Don't cause too much of a scene." she smirked at him while he glared and turned back to me. "What kind of animals will you be looking after?"

"Uh, dogs mostly. And I think there's a tiger. But we probably won't have to do anything dangerous. I'm sure they have professional tiger people for that kind of stuff. But we do have to start really early and will be sleeping there for the next two weeks."

"Hmmm," Sarah paused contemplatively. "Well we're just a phone call away if you guys need us. Would you mind taking the brussels sprouts casserole a la 'recycled newspaper' out of the oven please, Kels?"

I set the stinky casserole in the center of the table while she popped her cookie sheets into the oven and called the kids to dinner. She instructed Harry to set the table. He sighed and rolled his eyes but did it anyway. Mike came in, set his briecase down, and kissed his wife on the cheek.

"What's that . . . smell?" he asked suspiciously.

"Brussels sprouts casserole. " Harry and I answered together.

"And I made cookies for Sammy's playgroup." Sarah announced proudly. "I'll save the best one for you."

Mike shot both Harry and me a knowing look that Sarah caught. She snapped her dishtowel at his thigh.

"If that's the attitude that you, Harry and Kelsey are bringing to the table then the three of you get cleanup duty tonight."

"Aw, honey. Don't be mad." he kissed Sarah againand wrapped his arms around her, trying his best to get out of the task.

Harry and I took that as our cue to exit. We shoot each other a look and smirked. As we snuck out of the kitchen I heard Sarah giggle.

_Someday, I'd like a guy to try and talk himself out of cleanup duty with me in the same way, _I thought and smiled. _**But sis, isn't that what you have me for? **_asked Harry mentally. I shoot him a look, but he just smiled innocently. Ha. Innocent my ass.

Apparently, Mike had negotiated well because he got put-the-kids-to-bed duty instead of cleanup, while I was left to do the dishes on my own with Harry. And if I know Harry, it's going to end up as a full out bubble war. I didn't mind, really, but as soon as we were done, we decided that it was our bedtime too. Six o'clock in the morning was going to come awfully early.

Quietly, we climbed up the stairs to our bedroom. It was small and cozy, with just a simple double bed, a mirrored dresser, a desk for mine and Harrys computer and homework, a closet, our clothes, our books, a basket full of different coloured hair ribbons and our grandmother's quilt.

Our grandmother, mine by blood and Harrys through love, made that quilt when I was little. It was before I meet Harry. I was very young, but I remember her stitching it together, the same metal thimble, always on her finger. I traced a butterfly on the worn-out, raggedy-at-the-corners quilt, remembering how I had snuck the thimble out of her sewing kit one night, just to feel her near me. She had died just a short time after we had adopted Harry. He mourned for her just as much as I did. We became very close during that time. We had forged a bond that, to this day, has yet to be broken. Even though we were teenagers now, we still slept with the quilt every night.

We changed into our pajamas. I shook my hair free from its braid and Harry brushed it out. We both flashed back to how Mum used to do it for me while we talked. I then returned the favor and brushed Harrys hair out for him. It wasn't that long, only just brushing his shoulder blades, but he still liked it when I brushed it out for him.

Crawling under the warm covers, I set our alarms for, _ugh_, 4:30 a.m and wondered what we could possibly be doing with a tiger so bloody early in the morning and how we would survive the three-ring circus that was already our life. My stomach growled.

After Harry had finished getting ready for bed he joined me under the covers.** (by the way, the bond they share is extreme brotherly and sisterly love so, no, it is not wierd that they are sleeping in the same bed. Anyway, Harry's gay so it's not like he's going to try and take advantage of her.)**

I glanced at my nightstand and the two pictures I kept out. One was of the four of us: Mum, Dad, Harry and me at a New Year's celebration. Harry and I had just turned twelve.** (I tweaked Harry's birthday to be the same as Kelsey's. He still celebrates on July 31st but only as a sign of respect to his birth parents) **My long brown hair had been curled, but in the picture it drooped because I had thrown a fit about using hairspray. I'd smiled in the shot, despite the fact that I had a gleaming row of silver braces. I was grateful for my straight teeth now, but I'd abosutely hated those braces back then. In the picture, Harry was standing with his arms wrapped around my waist and with our parents arms around our shoulders.

I touched the glass, placing my thumb briefly over the image of my pale face. I'd always longed to be svelte, tan, blond and blue eyed, but I had the same brown eyes as my father and the tendency towards chubbiness of my mother.

The other was a candid shot of my parents at their wedding day. There was a beautiful water fountain in the background and they were young, happy and smiling at each other. I wanted that for myself someday. I wanted someone to look at me like that.

I glanced over at Harry and saw him smiling softly at a photo of his birth parents wedding. They had married young, but you could see the love that was shared between them. It was almost a tangible aura surrounding the both of them. I briefly looked at the other photo he had on his nightstand. It was of his parents holding baby Harry and smiling for the camera.

Flopping over onto my stomach and stuffing my pillow under my cheek, I drifted off thinking about my mum's cookies.

I smiled slightly as I felt Harry shift on the bed and pull me slightly towards him so he could cuddle me close.

That night, I dreamt that I was being chased through the jungle and when I turned around to look at my pursuer, I was startled to see a large, white, tiger with stunning cobalt blue eyes. My dream self laughed and smiled and then turned and ran faster. The sound of gentle, padded paws raced along after me, beating in time with my heart.

Beside me, Harry was having the same dream, except his had a black tiger, with eyes the colour of gold dubloons and pirates treasure.

**So how did everybody like that? Was it good? Bad? Please tell me. Also, if I'm missing a word or there is something wrong with the grammer, please tell me! I would really appreciate it. Hope to see you next time. Bye!**

**Jaide_Wolf**


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